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Skaggs sent down in favor of bullpen arm

Skaggs sent down in favor of bullpen arm

6/9/13: Tyler Skaggs strikes out Brandon Crawford swinging with the bases loaded to work out of trouble in the top of the first inning

By Steve Gilbert
/
MLB.com |

LOS ANGELES -- Tyler Skaggs was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Monday, one day after allowing five runs in five innings to the Giants.

Skaggs made two starts in his stint with the D-backs and was unable to recapture the success he had last month when he held the Rangers scoreless for six innings in Game 2 of a doubleheader.

Due to some short starts recently from the rotation, the D-backs could not afford to be patient with Skaggs and had to add some arms to the bullpen, calling up right-hander Charles Brewer from Reno.

"I feel fine," Skaggs said. "I felt like I was throwing the ball well. Last start wasn't what I wanted. It is what it is. I think I need to go down and work on some things. I still thought I threw the ball well, but it's just one of those things where got to help out the bullpen."

D-backs manager Kirk Gibson likened Skaggs situation to Patrick Corbin's last year when each time he came up to the big leagues he pitched better and better.

"Ultimately he's just got to strive for more consistency with his pitch location," Gibson said. "One of the things I told him was that part of it is a byproduct of the schedule and what our needs are right now. Every time you come up you should be a little more comfortable and have a little more of an understanding of what you need to do to be successful and hold guys down here. He'll go down and throw the ball and keep his confidence. I'm sure we'll need him in the future."

Said Skaggs, "Mentally it's tough, it's tough to really keep confident, but I feel like I'll be all right. I'm a tough kid so I'll be OK."